Particulates and carbon monoxide pollution on production floor of steel recycling plant

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

For this study, particulates or particulate matter (PM) and carbon monoxide (CO) levels were monitored at different sections on the production floor of a scrap metal recycling factory. A Met‐One GT331 dust monitor and A Toxi‐Rae gas monitor were used to measure PM and CO concentrations, respectively. The 24‐hr averaging period concentrations of particulate matter having diameters of 2.5 microns or less in diameter (PM2.5), particulate matter having diameters of 10 microns or less in diameter (PM10), and total suspended particulates (TSP) within the plant ranged between 8.3 and 50.4 μg/m3, 12.0 and 151.3 μg/m3, and 30.0 and 285.0 μg/m3, respectively, while the maximum 8‐hr concentration of CO within the plant was 20.5 parts per million (ppm). The United States’ Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) limits for PM2.5, PM10, and CO were exceeded only in the area around the furnace. Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Environment (FMENV), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Bank statutory limit for TSP were also exceeded in the area around the furnace. Toxicity potentials (TP) of the investigated pollutants were greater than 1.0 around the furnace, indicating that work spaces in proximity to the furnace could expose workers to adverse health conditions.